Your Comfort Is Connected To Your Contribution

"In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry. May the name of the God of Jacob keep you from all harm. May he send you help from his sanctuary, and strengthen you from Jerusalem. May he remember all your gifts and look favorably on your burnt offerings" - Psalm 20:1-3

First glance, the Psalm seems to be saying that the comfort and help we get from God in times of need and trouble is related to the amount of our contributions to God's work and worship in the past.

Woah.

That doesn't sound like the God of mercy, compassion and grace who does not expect us to earn our relationship with Him but rather gives of Himself freely. The idea that God looks at us when we need help and says "Sorry, man, but your contributions were off last quarter - I am going to extend my peace and presence to the guy down the street who served me with more of his time and treasure over the last stretch" strikes us all wrong.

But what if something else is going on?

What if the amount of comfort and strength we experience in times of need is directly related to the faith we have exercised in the past, the faith that has built our trust in God and exercised our spiritual muscles?

I promise you this: if you are a risktaker for God in your service, your boldness, you sacrifice and - as the Psalm refers to - your money - you will experience God's faithfulness and provision in all kinds of ways, in good and bad times.

And that means that when the bad times hit you have a deeper reservoir of experiencing God, a stronger track record of trusting God, and bigger reserves of spiritual resilience that will enable you to make it through the hard times.

Your comfort in hard times is directly connected to your contribution in all times. Not because God plays favorites. But because God builds you up through obedience.